CATV networks use an infrastructure of interconnected coaxial cables, signal splitters and combiners, repeating amplifiers, filters, trunk lines, cable taps, drop lines and other signal-conducting devices to supply and distribute high frequency “downstream” signals from a main signal distribution facility, known as a “headend,” to the premises (homes and offices) of subscribers to the CATV services. The downstream signals enter the subscriber premises and cause the operation of certain subscriber devices, such as television sets, telephone sets and computers. In addition, most CATV networks also transmit “upstream” signals from the subscriber devices back through the CATV network infrastructure to a headend of the CATV network. For example, the subscriber uses a set top box to select programs for display on the television set. As another example, two-way communication is essential when using a personal computer connected through the CATV infrastructure to the public Internet. As a further example, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone sets use the CATV infrastructure and the public Internet as the communication medium for transmitting two-way telephone conversations.
The downstream signals are delivered from the CATV network infrastructure through a CATV entry adapter to the subscriber premises, and upstream signals originating at the subscriber premises are delivered through the CATV entry adapter to the CATV network infrastructure. The CATV entry adapter is also commonly referred to as an entry device, terminal adapter or a drop amplifier. The CATV entry adapter is a multi-port device which connects at an entry port to the CATV drop cable from the CATV network infrastructure. The multiplicity of other signal distribution ports of the entry adapter are connected to in-home or in-premises coaxial cables which extend throughout the subscriber premises to separate cable outlets. Each cable outlet is connected to, or is available to be connected to, a subscriber device. Typically, most homes have coaxial cables extending to cable outlets in almost every room, because different types of subscriber devices may be used in different rooms. For example, television sets, computers and telephone sets are commonly used in many different rooms of a home or office. The multiple signal distribution ports of the entry adapter deliver the downstream signals from the entry port to each cable outlet and conduct the upstream signals from the distribution ports to the entry port and the drop cable of the CATV infrastructure.
Subscribers pay for CATV services, which are delivered by permitting the subscriber to receive CATV signals supplied by the CATV service provider over the CATV network infrastructure to the subscriber premises. To deliver CATV signals only to those CATV subscribers which have paid for the CATV service, the CATV service provider dispatches a technician to the subscriber premises to connect the drop coaxial cable from the cable tap of the CATV network infrastructure to a CATV entry adapter which is located at the subscriber premises. In this manner, downstream CATV signals are delivered from the CATV network infrastructure to the subscriber, and upstream signals from subscriber devices in the subscriber premises are delivered to the CATV network infrastructure and the CATV service provider.
So long as the subscriber pays for the CATV service, the physical connection between the entry adapter at the subscriber premises and the CATV network infrastructure external to the subscriber is maintained. Should the subscriber fail to pay for the CATV service, the CATV service provider sends a technician to the subscriber premises where the drop cable from the CATV network infrastructure cable tap is disconnected from the entry adapter. Once disconnected in this manner, the subscriber no longer receives CATV signals from the CATV network infrastructure.
Dispatching CATV technicians to enable and disable CATV service at each subscriber premises involves a significant cost to the CATV service provider. For example, each dispatch of a service technician, sometimes referred to as a “truck roll,” in a major metropolitan area or a remote rural area may cost as much as $125. Since the typical monthly subscription fee for CATV services is less than $125, the service provider loses a significant amount of income due to the necessity for truck rolls to control the connection and disconnection of the entry adapters at each subscriber premises to and from the CATV network infrastructure. In addition, in those situations where the subscriber must provide entry for the technician to access the CATV entry adapter at the subscriber premises, the costs of truck rolls can be substantially increased due to failed attempts to coordinate schedules and meetings between the subscriber and the technician. A truck roll which is executed to a subscriber premises when the subscriber is not present unnecessarily increases the cost of enabling and disabling CATV service to the subscriber.
Furthermore, CATV service providers terminate CATV service to subscribers in response to the non-payment for CATV services. The termination of the CATV service sometimes motivates the subscriber to pay the CATV bill, resulting in the need to subsequently re-enable the CATV service. Such disabling and re-enabling requires more truck rolls, which further diminishes the profit due to cost of the truck rolls. In actuality, the cost of such truck rolls may discourage the CATV service provider from discontinuing service to many subscribers who have failed to pay, or the discontinuance of service may be delayed for a substantial amount of time during which the non-paying subscriber may continue to enjoy the CATV services provided. All of these factors diminish the profit of the CATV service provider.
Past attempts have been made by CATV service providers to remotely enable and disable a subscriber's CATV service. Such past attempts have involved the use of remotely controllable cable taps that were part of the CATV network infrastructure at a location separated from the subscriber premises. The remotely controllable cable tap and had multiple ports for connection of multiple drop cables, with each drop cable connecting to a different subscriber premises. An out of CATV frequency band downstream control signal was sent by the CATV service provider to each of the controllable cable taps, and the control signal was intended to be interpreted by the controllable cable tap to enable or disable the conduction of CATV signals to each of its connection ports separate from each of the other connection ports. When enabled, a connection port of the controllable cable tap was intended to conduct downstream CATV signals to the subscriber premises connected to that connection port, as well as to conduct upstream CATV signals from the subscriber premises to the CATV network infrastructure.
In actual use, remotely controllable cable taps never functioned on a consistent and reliable basis, and therefore never gained significant acceptance. A malfunction or discrepancy in functionality typically had the effect of adversely affecting many of the connection ports and consequently many of the multiple subscribers connected to that particular controllable cable tap. Thus, an attempt to disable the service to one particular subscriber may have had the effect of terminating the service to other subscribers for whom the CATV service was intended to be continued. Sometimes, the wrong connection port was disabled, thereby terminating the service to an acceptable subscriber while failing to terminate the service to an unacceptable subscriber. Similar problems were encountered in attempts to enable CATV service. In a significant number of circumstances, service could not be re-enabled. Thus even in these circumstances truck rolls were required to manually achieve the connectivity that was intended to be achieved remotely. Because of the potential for adversely impacting the CATV service to multiple subscribers arising from a malfunction or erroneous function within such remotely controllable cable taps, the costs associated with truck rolls and CATV technician service calls under such circumstances outweighed any benefits, and as a consequence there was no significant profit benefit to CATV service providers in using remotely controllable cable taps. Furthermore, remotely controllable cable taps provided no capability to permit some level of service to the subscriber while preventing other levels of service, since the remotely controllable cable tap either entirely permitted or entirely discontinued CATV service of all levels and types.